By Jesse Kelber, special to the Blog
Sandwiched between Valhalla Sandwiches (ironically enough) and the building containing Baraka Jewelry, Luxe Lighting Company, and Gold Scarab Tattoos sits a throwback to the Greenwood of old—Tony’s Greenwood Auto Body and One Stop Greenwood Auto Repair. Open since 1997, Tony’s is the lone holdout from the days when this stretch of Greenwood Ave was known for shops dealing in two main areas: cars and antiques.
You would be in good company if you hadn’t realized that the shop has actually been under new ownership since 2024. New owner Peter Min moved all the way from Dallas to Seattle for the express purpose of taking over Tony’s and running it exactly as it has been run for nearly 30 years; as a customer-focused source for all things auto body and repair. “Tony’s is dedicated to building lasting relationships with our clients and love supporting the community by offering our services at reasonable prices,” says Peter.
Peter knew he was stepping into a well-established and loved neighborhood institution, and he was set from day one on maintaining Tony’s as an independently-owned and customer-focused neighborhood business with deep roots in Phinneywood. Being born and raised in Dallas, Peter was immediately struck by, and quickly fell in love with, Phinneywood’s neighborhood-centric vibe and the friendly customers he gets to interact with every day.
It all started with a serendipitous For Sale posting that Peter’s father in Vancouver, B.C. read and sent to him with the note, “you should move out here and buy this place.” Bringing his years of experience running a mobile mechanic business back in Texas, Peter felt immediately at home, both in Phinneywood and at the helm of Tony’s. His approach blends technical expertise with a relationship-driven mindset: a car is a car, but the people who drive them are what drive him. Clear communication, realistic expectations, and never pushing unnecessary work (“upselling,” as has become common in many service sectors) are, to Peter, table stakes.
The crew Peter inherited with the shop are a big part of what makes everything run so smoothly. From decade-plus veterans office manager Chris and her husband, lead technician Derek; to Lobo and Rodrigo, along with the newest team member, paint maestro Teonn. The team at Tony’s operates more like an extended family than work associates. And with Peter’s intentions set on keeping it independent, his love for being hands-on in the shop alongside the crew, and going the extra mile to work with customers who might find the expense of maintaining their car a bit too much by spreading out repairs or hunting down more affordable parts—you can see how dedicated he is to keeping Phinneywood’s autos safely on the road.
In a business climate where many independent body shops have either rolled down their door for the last time or been swallowed by national chains, Tony’s operates as a neighborhood anchor. One run by an owner who, while new to Seattle, has settled right into his chosen corner of Phinneywood with purpose and intentionality and clearly plans to stick around and maintain Tony’s reputation for great, customer-centric auto body and mechanical work.
